If you can’t remember when you last went to confession understand that:

Only baptized Catholics who are in the state of sanctifying grace (free from mortal sin) may receive Sacramental Communion.

If you can’t remember when you last went to confession ponder the following:

Saint Padre Pio informed a person for whom he was the Spiritual Director that frequent confession was important because ‘Even an empty room needs to be dusted once a week.’

If you can’t remember when you last went to confession stop going to Sacramental Communion until

you confess all of your known sins (don’t purposefully leave any sin out),

are truly contrite for your sins,

propose never to sin again,

resolve to amend your life,

plan to avoid the near temptations of sin and

do the penance given to you by the Priest.

Between now and your confession say the ‘Act of Contrition’ daily and if you desire to receive Communion perform a Spiritual Communion (see the prayer below).

Understand that a person who receives the Blessed Sacrament in a state of mortal sin commits another mortal sin by receiving our Lord unworthily.

Don’t pile one mortal sin on top of another.

To die with only one mortal sin is to face eternal damnation.

Jesus is merciful for those who are truly contrite for their sins while they are still engaged in this temporal test. But at the moment of death, the soul is disinfused from the body and appears before the judgment seat and Jesus will either act as a just Judge or as a merciful intermediate between the soul and God the Father.

Recite the ‘Act of Contrition’ reverently and with true sorrow for having offend our Lord. And calmly and fearlessly know that should death prevent us from receiving absolution in Sacramental Confession our Savior, Who knows our hearts, our thoughts and our desires, will mercifully assist us in our moment of greatness need. But, we must make the effort so we pray:

The Act of Contrition:

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee and I detest all of my sins because I fear the loss of Heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more, to amend my life, to confess my sins and to avoid the ‘near occasions of sin.’ Amen.

Spiritual Communion:

My Jesus, I believe that Thou art present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love Thee above all things, and I desire to receive Thee into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive Thee Sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.

[Pause, exhale slowly and then inhale deeply. Now, imagine that you are holding the infant Jesus close to your heart and ask that He will give you the graces necessary to help you grow to the state of holiness that He intends for you and that He will give you the grace to examine your conscience thoroughly, and ask that He gives to you the graces that will move you to go and confess all of your sins to a Priest as soon as possible. Conclude the Spiritual Communion prayer with the following words…]

I embrace Thee as though Thou art already there and I unite myself wholly to Thee. Never permit me to be separated from Thee. Amen.

And finally, pray three ‘Hail Marys’ a day from this day forward asking Jesus’ Mother, the Mother of God and Our Heavenly Mother, to place us under the protection of her maternal cape.

As you grow in holiness increase the frequency of your Sacramental Confessions to at least once a month and begin to pray the Holy Rosary of Our Blessed Mother on a daily basis.